While rapid-fire press releases and rumor confirmations have been the norm for getting the news out the past few days, 'Outsourced' star Rizwan Manji actually took to Twitter before news of their cancellation broke:

@Riz_Manji: "Before it hits the trades-Outsourced isnt coming back.Sad to see it go-hopeful that this opportunity was a step towards others! Thanx all!"

• Alec Baldwin took to his Huffington Post to discuss the '30 Rock' bombshell he dropped a few days ago. "I want to take the opportunity to state that although my days on network TV may be numbered, I hope '30 Rock' goes on forever," he wrote. "Or at least as long as everyone involved desires." [Huffington Post]

• Simon Cowell's American version of 'The X Factor' will have two hosts. Although we don't know who those two people will be just yet, the announcement should be made any day now. Paging Brian Dunkleman... [TV Guide]

• According to star Kat Graham, at least one series regular will die on 'The Vampire Diaries' before the season is through. "Three huge characters are going to die - solid characters - and it's going to change the destiny of the show," she said. The show returns from hiatus tonight. [TV Guide]

The news just keeps getting worse for 'Chase' fans. After cutting the series order back in December, NBC has now announced that it is putting the series on hiatus, effective immediately.

According to The Futon Critic, beginning Wednesday, NBC will replace the struggling drama with a second hour of 'Minute to Win It.' The scheduling change comes after the game show this week posted series-high ratings in the time slot normally occupied by 'Chase.'

'Minute to Win It' attracted 9.5 million viewers and a 3.0 rating in the coveted adults aged 18-49 demographic. By contrast, the most recent new episode of 'Chase' pulled in a comparatively modest 4.17 million viewers and a 1.2 rating.

The FCC has approved the merger of NBC Universal and Kabletown Comcast after year-long reviews of the matter.

According to Variety, the combination was passed with a 4-1 vote. Michael Copps, the Democratic commissioner, was the dissenting vote.

Concerns over the future of online video prompted Comcast to agree to conditions that aim to prevent anti-competitive harms.

"This is a proud and exciting day for Comcast," Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast, said. "Our original vision for the combination remains intact so that consumers will benefit, and our competitors will be treated fairly."

In other TV news ...

• Syfy has renewed 'Sanctuary' for a 13-episode season 4. According to the network, filming starts this spring with an expected fall debut. [Syfy]

• The Brown family from TLC's 'Sister Wives' is on the move. The reality family has moved to Nevada to pursue new opportunities. [E! Online]

'Chase' fans, your show is in trouble. NBC has cut the order of episodes from 22 to 18.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the series has struggled in ratings and come January it will go against Fox's 'American Idol.'

The drama about U.S. Marshal Annie Frost (Kelli Giddish) and her squad of fugitive chasers has failed to deliver in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Its most recent episode brought in a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49.

In other TV news ...

• Rapper/actor Method Man is guest starring on 'The Good Wife.' CBS has teased the actor may play a prison friend of Peter Florrick (Chris Noth). [CBS]

• Jeremy Irons has been tapped by 'Law & Order: SVU.' The Oscar-winner will play a sex therapist who runs a sex addiction clinic. [TV Guide]

• The CW is preparing a drama based on the DC Comics character Raven. The character, known for her demon origins, has been a mainstay of 'Teen Titans' for years. Diego Gutierrez is writing the project and will serve as executive producer if the script order turns into a pilot. [Variety]

Alicia Florrick, prepare to go toe-to-toe with Louis Canning once again. According to Entertainment Weekly, Michael J. Fox will return to 'The Good Wife' early next year as Canning, the manipulative lawyer who gave Lockhart/Gardner & Bond one heck of a court battle.

"As soon as we saw the dailies of Michael playing Louis Canning, we started pleading with him to return," creators and executive producers Robert and Michelle King told EW. "Luckily he agreed. He's amazing in this role: unpretentiously brave and funny. It's good to have him back."

Fox played Canning in 'Poisoned Pill,' the sixth episode of the CBS drama's second season. Look for him in episode 13, competing with Alicia (Julianna Margulies) to reach homeowners for a class-action lawsuit.

In other casting news ...• Eric Mabius is heading to NBC's 'Chase.' The 'Ugly Betty' veteran will play Justin Tate, a former cop who has become a fugitive and uses his law enforcement knowledge to prey on innocents. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were confirmed as two of the guests on Oprah's upcoming Sydney shows. The Australian episodes will be filmed on Dec. 14, and will also feature Hugh Jackman and wife Deborah Lee Furness, Baz Luhrmann and wife Catherine Martin, Cate Blanchett and Jon Bon Jovi. [The Hollywood Reporter]

• Mariana Klaveno, Lorena on 'True Blood,' will guest star on 'Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.' Klaveno will play Veronica, a spotlight-loving woman who is quite good an manipulating men. [Movieline]

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by e-mailing us at tvsquad@gmail.com. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

If TV critics were children, Fall TV would be the equivalent of back to school time -- a lot of work to do, but so much excitement. And there's always a little disappointment as you say goodbye to summer freedom, or in our case, to our happy vacation moods.

Of course the school of TV-watching is year-round, but fall is truly the time when the networks pull out all the stops (hopefully) and show us what they've got.

So sharpen your pencils, TV fans, because class is now in session: AOL TV Editor Kelly Woo and our newest addition, Lead Critic Mo Ryan, joined me to break down all the new fall network shows. Good ("it's sexy, it's fun") or bad ("I've fallen asleep three times trying to watch this pilot"), we were brutally honest because we want this to be your go-to guide for what to watch, what to skip and those shows that fall somewhere in between.

What new fall shows are you most excited for? Sound off in the comments.

Procedurals are a dime a dozen on primetime, but NBC is hoping to capture audiences with two new crime/legal dramas that -- according to the casts and producers at the TCA press tour -- will offer brand new perspectives on an already crowded genre.

First up was 'Outlaw,' a series starring Jimmy Smits as Supreme Court Justice Cyrus Garza, who retires his gavel to take on controversial cases from the other side of the bench. Then (after a delicious dessert break courtesy of 'Top Chef') NBC introduced 'Chase,' a Texas-based drama about a team of U.S. Marshals. Join us after the jump for highlights from both panels.

From now through August, we're going to be taking a quick look at the fall and mid-season pilots that the networks sent to critics after their upfront presentations.

Keep in mind that in each case, our opinions are based on a pilot that could be completely recast and reworked between now and the fall.
Show: 'Chase'
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Mondays, 10PM ET

The lowdown: The job of a U.S. Marshal is to chase down fugitives. And Houston-based Marshal Annie Frost (Kelli Giddish), is as good as anyone at doing that. She's a Texas native with a checkered background; both aspects of her life allow her to get in the heads of the convicts that try to run through the Lone Star state. Aided by a crack team of Marshals with their own special skills, Frost is determined to keep violent criminals from either doing more harm or running for the border.

This marks the fifth pickup in two weeks for the Peacock network. As we previously reported, NBC recently gave the thumbs up to the CIA drama 'Undercovers,' from J.J. Abrams, as well as 'The Event,' 'Outsourced' and Cindy Chupak's ('Sex and the City') 'Love Bites,' starring Becki Newton ('Ugly Betty') and Jordana Spiro ('My Boys').

Jerry Bruckheimer and Bert van Munster, producers of the Emmy-winning 'Amazing Race,' have just struck a deal for a new series with ABC that's being teased as a "heart-stopping reality competition."

The new reality series is tentatively called 'Catch Me,' according to The Wrap, and promises to contain several of the action elements that made 'Amazing Race' a hit. Producers are reportedly looking to cast teams of two in the project, with contestants who "have an adventurous streak and a poker face." They'll begin recruiting their poker-faced players in Chicago.

(S06E14) Usually when an episode of a long running show just goes through its tried and true motions, it feels lazy and slapped together. But in the case of 'House,' it makes for some tasty viewing, even with the vivid description of poop.

Note to self: never order the Bangkok Special before sitting down to watch 'House.'